


Inquisitor Anders

by xxMad_Donaxx



Series: Inquisitor Anders [3]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:14:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27063235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxMad_Donaxx/pseuds/xxMad_Donaxx
Summary: Anders goes to the rebel mages for assistance in closing the breach, much to Cullen's annoyance. His journey through time with Dorian doesn't sit well with him in addition to the Darkspawn song constantly playing in his head. Corypheus complicates things further and Anders finds himself in Skyhold with more worries and a surprising connection to Cullen.
Relationships: Anders/Cullen Rutherford
Series: Inquisitor Anders [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717843
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Inquisitor Anders

Before Anders had left for Redcliffe with the Bull and Varric Commander Cullen had all the charm of a wet cat, a really annoyed one at that. Anders understood it was mostly his fault. Alexius had very obviously set a trap for him but still he refused to seek out the remaining Templars, which would have probably been the smarter option. Before the open conflict that Carver had ultimately started they were on opposite sides and neither of them would ever be able to completely break those loyalties. Aside from the obvious trap, that Cullen eventually stopped fighting and started helping with a plan, Anders figured it had to be that.

Now that they had returned from that terrifying adventure Anders was starting to wonder if it was possible for an alpha to imprint on a beta. Being yanked into the future was by far the most mind breaking thing he’d ever had to deal with. Seeing what would happen if he didn’t make it back to the correct time had kept him from panicking in the moment but now that they were home and safe he was having a quiet break down. Surprisingly it was Commander Cullen that prevented him from breaking completely.

Somehow Cullen knew he was holding himself together by a thin thread and had been hovering for the last two days. When he was approached about closing the breach Cullen shooed them away, sometimes with alpha aggression that made little sense to him but no one else seemed to question. The fact that Anders was selfish enough to not only tolerate the strange behavior but accept and even seek out Cullen a few times had raised a few more concerns about just what had happened to him before he fell out of the fade after the explosion.

Anders wondered about imprinting again as he watched the Commander all but growling at First Enchanter Vivienne. Her alpha hackles were also quickly rising and he knew he should stop them before they came to blows but he just watched, along with all the others watching in the small tavern. In addition to not really liking him, Vivienne was getting impatient with him for dragging his feet on closing the breach. Anders wanted it closed more than any other person in Haven, with the possible exception of Dorian, but he needed a couple of more days before subjecting himself to the stress of actually closing it.

Finally she huffed and stalked toward the door without a look back. Cullen inhaled deeply before sitting and exhaling slowly. Anders nudged his ale a little closer to Cullen’s hand and Cullen took it and drained half the glass. It was set down in front of Anders and the Commander continued to scan the room like nothing odd had happened. The hum of conversation started up almost immediately along with the clink of glasses and the clunk of those glasses hitting the wood tables. Cullen was quiet and Anders didn’t feel a pressing need to break the silence even though he desperately wanted to ask a few questions.

Normally imprinting happened when an alpha and omega spent a lot of time together. It was a natural syncing of the omega cycle and the alpha’s response along with a strengthening of scent preference of the alpha for the omega. It could easily happen between siblings but nearly all of parents knew to keep a certain distance between their alpha children and omega children. He’d never heard of an alpha imprinting on a beta but then he didn’t know of any other alpha that couldn’t stand any omega’s scent either.

Since proximity seemed to be the key to start the imprinting process Anders scooted over in his seat a little to be closer to the former Templar, trying to convince himself it was an experiment and not an actual desire to be close to him. The nature of their tasks here in Haven had put them in each other’s company more often than not unless he was trudging through Ferelden’s muddy countryside. It didn’t exactly surprise him when Cullen leaned a tiny bit closer and turned his head just a little. The thought that he and the Commander might be imprinting, and this little test proved it might be possible, terrified him. Anders pushed everything from his mind and drained the other half of his ale.

An hour later he was resting his head on Cullen’s shoulder and petting the fur of his collar, his mind pleasantly fuzzy and his eyesight a bit blurry. Shortly after that Anders’ memory failed and he wondered how he’d gotten back to his quarters as he sat up slowly. His head was pounding and his stomach was sour. 

“Andraste’s knickers,” Anders muttered. He found a pitcher of water and took a couple of sips after filling the glass next to it. “I’m hungover.”

“That typically happens when you drink too much.”

Anders fumbled with the glass as he was scooting back on the bed, unsurprised to see Cullen in his bedroom doorway. “I haven’t been hungover in over a decade,” he replied softly. “Ask Varric. He’ll confirm it.”

Cullen frowned slightly and seemed to rethink his response. “Are you truly so disturbed by what you witnessed?”

“Yes and no,” Anders sighed. He pressed his fingers to his temples and let a trickle of magic flow. “Get everyone together and let’s get up the mountain. I’ll have one less thing to worry about at least.”

***

Whatever the dragon fire exploded sent Anders rolling. He could feel the taint flowing through the dragon but didn’t sense any sort of higher intelligence from it. The Warden Commander had told him and Justice about the archdemon many times, how it had known the Warden and sent its gaze in her direction. Thankfully all he got from this thing was taint… and maybe that it was looking at lunch as Anders scrambled backwards away from it.

He ended up back on his knees as the mark on his hand flared. The dragon backed off a bit and something else walked through the flames. If pressed Anders would have labeled the thing a Darkspawn Emissary. It was unlike any Darkspawn he’d seen save one. The Architect was long dead however, that didn’t mean there might not be more intelligent talking darkspawn. Anders glanced up at the mountain again and saw no signal.

The Darkspawn cocked its head a little and grinned as much as it was able. The music in his head suddenly became almost too much to bear and he wasn’t sure what to focus on. The whispers that he normally couldn’t make out became screaming and Anders fought to keep control. The Emissary began speaking but he couldn’t spare it much attention. He heard enough to know it was miffed that the mark was on Anders’ and not its hand. When he was flung against the trebuchet he saw the signal. Anders kicked the crank loose and didn’t stick around to see what happened. He jumped over the wall and somehow landed in a cave.

Anders could do little but crawl until the screaming in his head became the more familiar whispers. For a few minutes he lay in the snow, trying to collect his scattered wits. When it was clear that his wits would remain scattered for a while he stood and trudged in a direction he hoped would lead to the rest of Haven’s residents. There were signs that people had passed which kept Anders trudging forward. When he heard Cullen’s voice he sunk to his knees. Upon feeling his hands and seeing his face through the blowing snow Anders let himself fall into blackness.

***

Cullen watched Anders from across the grassy expanse. The newly instated Inquisitor was speaking with the strange young man that had come to warn them about the red Templars minutes before they came up the valley. He had a feeling Cole would become a resident of Skyhold even though the majority of current residents would never see him. As much as Cole disturbed him it wasn’t him that had Cullen staring.

Something had Anders extremely fidgety and it was making Cullen prickly. Even though Leliana and Cassandra had blindsided him with leadership of this Inquisition Cullen was positive that wasn’t what was bothering him. He was also mostly sure it wasn’t what seemed to be the imprinting between them. Anders still sought him out and didn’t seem to mind it when Cullen sought him out. It was surprising to him that he seemed to be able to imprint on a beta but Anders did nothing to stop the process and he didn’t really want it to stop. His irritability at Anders discomfort and his desire to fix it, only gave more proof they weren’t imagining things.

As much as he wanted to march over there and demand to be told what was wrong he knew it would make things worse. Anders might not mind the close companionship but he would definitely balk at being treated like an omega. Cullen figured at least half of omegas didn’t like being treated like an omega either and he tried not to do it. If the mage didn’t start talking about his troubles soon however Cullen would force the issue.

When Cole walked away Anders looked over at him. Cullen was trying not to scowl and if the amused smirk Anders was sending him was anything to go by, he was failing miserably. Anders strolled through the grass and stopped in front of him. The distance between them wasn’t very appropriate for a Commander and his Commanding Officer but Cullen leaned a bit closer anyway trying to catch his scent without actually scenting him. Another smirk told Cullen that Anders knew what he was doing.

“He’s a spirit,” Anders said softly. “And he wants to help.”

“I trust you know what you’re doing,” Cullen said softly. “I doubt he’s the issue.”

“In a way he’s part of it,” Anders sighed. “Would you join me in my room?”

“People will talk.”

“They already are. I don’t want anyone listening.”

“Very well,” Cullen said.

He gestured toward the stairs and Anders started for them. A few minutes later Anders sighed heavily as he flopped back onto his bed. After a brief internal debate Cullen sat on one corner of the four posted bed and leaned back against the post. Rather than move away Anders scooted around until he was lounging back on his elbows, his legs crossed at the ankle and practically touching his leg. Cullen ran a finger down his shin before clasping his hands together in his lap. Anders watched his every move but still said nothing about the possible bond growing between them.

“So,” Anders said evenly. “A little background before we get into what’s really been bothering me. I was conscripted by the Hero of Ferelden soon after the archdemon was destroyed. There were some strange things going on in and around Amaranthine and we discovered a being similar to Corypheus. The Architect was destroyed but all things considered I have to wonder if it’s actually dead. That’s a discussion for another day however. During the course of that… adventure… a spirit of Justice was trapped outside the Fade in the corpse of a Grey Warden. Eventually I… took him into my body.”

Cullen’s eyes widened in shock. It technically made him an abomination. He understood completely why Anders didn’t want someone eavesdropping on this conversation. 

“Why tell me this now?” he asked calmly.

“Because whatever happened at the conclave, whatever I can’t remember… ripped him away from me. So please don’t go all Templar on me.”

Anders sunk to the bed and covered his face with his palms. He didn’t need the connection that was forming between them to feel the man’s tension ratchet up considerably. Cullen hesitated only a moment before turning so that his thigh rested alongside Anders’ lower leg, his feet touching Cullen’s side. Air hissed from Anders and some of the tension in his body seemed to escape with it.

“Thank you,” Anders whispered.

Cullen had learned the hard way to take mages and Templars at face value. Whatever reasons Anders had for foolishly accepting a Fade entity his intentions could only have been to help it. This mage wasn’t power hungry or erratic. He did nothing but try to make other’s lives better. It was disturbing of course but not quite enough to make him want to stop the imprinting. Cullen ran his finger down Anders shin again.

“I don’t think that’s the only thing distracting you,” Cullen said carefully. “But before we go any further…”

“Let’s address the dragon in the room?” Anders interrupted. He rose back up on his elbows and smirked. “You’re imprinting on me.”

“Believe me; it’s as much of a shock to me. But yes. I am. You don’t seem to mind.”

“I don’t.” Anders sat up fully and folded his legs underneath him. “I didn’t know an alpha could imprint on a beta. I’ll admit some of… whatever this is between us is professional curiosity. It’s… nice… to have someone focused on me though. And I obviously don’t hate your company. So can we just see what happens?”

Cullen leaned towards him and filled his lungs in a deep breath through his nose. Anders’ odd scent came along with the air and something inside him settled a little. Anders’ expression was cautious as he nodded slightly. He scooted towards the mage and Anders leaned over enough to rest his head on Cullen’s shoulder with a deep sigh. For several minutes they sat like that, Cullen resting his cheek on top of Anders head after a few.

“What do I smell like?” Anders asked quietly.

“It’s difficult to explain,” Cullen replied. “You’re scent is very earthy. Like… green things but sour and sharp as well.”

“How can a scent be sharp?” Anders sat up and looked at him curiously.

“That’s the best way I can describe it. You’ve always had the earth smell but the other things are new. I think the sour notes come from being a Grey Warden. The Hero of Fereldan had that same sourness.”

“Can you smell it on Blackwall?”

“I’ve never tried to scent Blackwall.” Cullen frowned. “You don’t think he’s a warden.”

“I know he isn’t.” Anders flopped back scrubbed his face with his hands. “Don’t say anything. I’m still trying to figure out why someone would impersonate one.”

“Is that what’s been bothering you?”

“Yes and no.”

“Anders…”

“Corypheus. He’s a Darkspawn Emissary. But when I faced him the noise in my head grew nearly unbearable. I don’t know if I can face him again.”

“Perhaps we should make finding the rest of the Grey Wardens a priority,” Cullen said after a moment.

The thought that the world rested on whether or not Anders could stay sane in the presence of the being causing the problems chilled him to his bones. Anders flapped a hand at him and rolled to his side facing Cullen. His breathing was deepening and his eyes fluttered shut. For a few minutes he watched Anders fall deeper into sleep and wondered just what Corypheus was. When it seemed that Anders was sleeping he shifted his weight to get up off the bed he was startled by a strong grip on his hand. Anders eyes popped open and Cullen settled again.

“Stay,” Anders whispered. “Please.”

“Are you not sleeping well?” Cullen asked as he frowned.

“It’s hard sometimes… being alone.” Anders shivered and curled himself tighter.

Cullen unbuckled his sword belt and leaned it against the night stand. He nudged Anders back a bit and settled on his side. The mage stayed curled up and Cullen curled himself around Anders. His breathing evened out at once. The tension faded from the beta and Cullen felt himself relax as well. If there was any doubt he was imprinting on Anders this dispelled it completely. With his arm draped over the mage’s side Cullen let his eyes close. Soon he was asleep as well.


End file.
